Smith and Tyler
by ADoctorInABlueBox
Summary: Rose Tyler is a surgeon at New Hope Hospital and is perfectly fine until the new Chief of Surgery, James Smith, comes and mixes everything up. Now how is one to cope with an annoyingly arrogant, yet attractive neurosurgeon who won't leave you alone or a frustratingly stubborn, yet beautiful cardiothoracic surgeon who hates you? *Very, very loose Grey's Anatomy AU*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a very very loose Grey's Anatomy AU and really the only reason why I say that is because that's basically where I'm getting all the info about being a surgeon so if this is inaccurate I'm very sorry. I also am American so if I get stuff wrong about living in London then you have my sincerest apologies. This is my first fanfic so feedback is greatly appreciated, but don't be too harsh please.

I do not own Doctor Who.

Dr. Rose Tyler paced around the small office, tension rolling off her in waves as Dr. Ryan watched her warily.

"You said it was because I was too young and then you go and hire someone who's barely older than me!" She exclaimed, stopping in front of his desk to glare at him.

"I said that was one of the reasons, Rose. Not the only one. You're not even done with your fellowship yet," he replied.

"Well he must only be a couple years ahead of me. Why him?" It wasn't as though she actually expected to get the Chief of Surgery job but she expected it to be given to someone at least ten years older than her with even more experience. Instead, Dr. Ryan was choosing a man barely five years older than her. And a neurosurgeon no less!

"It's not like that, Rose. He received his A levels and started uni at fifteen. Then he got his bachelor's at eighteen! By the time he was finished with medical school he was twenty two. He's got plenty of experience no matter how old he is. The man is a proper genius and I would've been a fool to not offer him the job," Dr. Ryan explained.

Rose sighed and slumped down into the chair in front of his desk, her anger having finally dissipated.

"It's just that I love this hospital and I did my internship, my residency, and now my fellowship here and I was hoping that-"

"You would eventually become chief as well," he finished for her. She looked down at her lap and nodded. He sat back and put his hands behind his head as he began to gather his thoughts.

"Did you know that I worked at two other hospitals before I came here?" Rose's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Well I did. And the first hospital where I did my internship, I hated it. The doctors there barely taught us anything and all the cases we got were crap. So I left and did my residency at a different hospital and I loved it there. Absolutely loved it. The doctors were great and taught me a lot of what I know today and the resources were top notch. I had planned on staying there for my fellowship and the rest of the foreseeable future. But you know what the chief told me? He told me that you never know where you belong unless you've been to other places. He told me that if I hated it, he would take me back in a heart beat, but if I loved it even more... well then I knew where I belonged. You can see how that worked out.

I didn't want to tell you this because I would be stupid to tell you to leave. You're the best surgeon to come through here since I've been here and it would be a shame to lose you. But I'm also you're friend and I want what's best for you. And you may not know what that is yet."

"Thank you Dr. Ryan. I will definitely think about what you told me. Although I still think I know where I belong," Rose said, smiling wryly. Dr. Ryan chuckled and stood up.

"Well let's hope. Now, there's a meeting at four to meet the new chief. You'll be there correct?"

"If there are no problems with my surgery then I will most certainly be there. And speaking of, I better go make sure my patient is being prepped. I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder as Dr. Ryan watched her leave, shaking his head.

oOoOoO

Rose walked out of her surgery four hours later, tired and ready to get the stupid meeting over with. She headed into the lounge where all the surgeons, interns, and a few nurses milled about, waiting for it to start. She spotted Jack towards the front of the crowd and went over to stand next to him.

"How was the surgery?" He asked, glancing at her.

"It was fine, no complications. So is that him?" She asked, eyeing the figure standing next to Dr. Ryan with their backs turned.

"Yep. And I heard he's quite the looker from some of the nurses who saw him walk through," Jack said, smirking and waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, shut up. And you know you're not supposed to talk to the nurses except about medical issues. They like you far too much," Rose said, laughing. From what she could tell from his back, he was skinny. Very skinny actually with chestnut brown hair that seemed to be defying gravity. He and the chief (well ex-chief now) were talking, probably preparing what they were going to say.

Finally they both turned around and Dr. Ryan began to introduce the man standing next to him. All Rose could think was that those nurses definitely had it right. He wore simple black slacks and a white oxford. His hair was even more gravity-defying from the front and she couldn't help the desire to want to run her hands through it. He had deep but warm chocolate brown eyes and a smattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose.

"Everybody, this is Dr. James Smith, your new Chief of Surgery." Dr. Smith smiled wide and bright enough to light up the room. Dr. Ryan explained that he would still be staying for the next month, teaching Dr. Smith everything that goes along with being chief until he's able to do it all on his own. Everyone was then dismissed and some went off to surgery, but most stayed to introduce themselves.

Jack began to walk away and Rose quickly grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"I've got a surgery. I already had to postpone it to come to this thing," he replied.

"Your nose job can't wait?" She asked.

"It's not a nose job. How many times do I have to tell you there's more to plastics than nose jobs? Some of us have to make people look pretty again. We can't all cut hearts open," he said. "Now go introduce yourself. I saw you looking."

"Just go fix your nose," Rose said, exasperated. As Jack walked away, Rose shifted away from the crowd that had formed around Dr. Smith , preferring to wait until he was alone.

After waiting fifteen minutes Rose decided that she would just introduce herself later and went to fetch the charts on her current patients. As she stood at the nurse's station going over their scans and her notes someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She swung around to find herself face to face with Dr. Smith.

"You're Dr. Tyler right?" He asked, smiling that brilliant smile of his.

She admonished herself for getting distracted by his, well, obvious attractiveness.

"Yes. And you're , of course."

"Please, call me James," he said and paused, obviously waiting for her to give him her first name. She didn't offer it, making herself remember that he was her boss and not just some other coworker.

"Right, well," he said, plowing through the slightly awkward pause. "I've heard that you're the best surgeon around here." Rose blushed and looked down, not really sure how to respond to the generous compliment. "I bet I can put that reputation to rest after a month." Rose immediately looked up, shocked at his cockiness.

"Oh, really?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, yeah. I'm rather brilliant if I do say so myself," he replied, maintaining his grin.

She could not believe his nerve. Who would just introduce themselves to you only to tell you that they're better than you? Well there was no way Rose was taking this from anyone, even if he was the new Chief of Surgery.

"Look,_ Dr. Smith_," Rose began with malice. "I may not have gotten my A levels at fifteen or graduated from uni at eighteen, but I am a very good surgeon. I just don't go around shouting it out for everyone to hear and I definitely don't go putting other surgeons down with my obvious arrogance," Rose nearly yelled as she grabbed her charts and stormed off.

"No wait! Dr. Tyler I was just joking!" James called after her, but it was futile._ Great_, he thought, _I've already made the best surgeon in this place hate me._ He sighed and walked off only to be stopped by more people wanting to introduce themselves.

All day, Rose could not get Dr. Smith's arrogant face out of her mind no matter how hard she tried and James found himself unable to stop thinking about Dr. Tyler.

A/N: My schedule is kind of hectic so I don't know if I'll be able to update regularly, but I should be able to update a couple times a week, maybe more.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is a bit short but hopefully I will start updating regularly.

I do not own Doctor Who

oOoOo

"Are you ever going to forgive him?"

"Nope."

"Are you ever going to talk to him voluntarily?"

"Nope." Rose had hoped that her clipped tone and her position hunched over her paperwork would cause Jack to go away or at least change the subject, but alas, no such luck.

"So you're just never going to talk to him?"

Rose sighed and finally turned to face Jack.

"He is my boss and if he asks me a question about a patient or makes a comment on my performance then I will answer him politely. But that doesn't mean I have to like him." Jack crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.

"But you haven't even given him the chance to apologize to you. Every time you see him you run the opposite direction," he retorted.

Rose had to admit that he was right. For two days now whenever she saw Dr. Smith she would immediately turn and go the other direction, even if it took her completely out of her way. The truth was that she knew if she didn't hate him, then she would most certainly like him more than was appropriate. So she avoided him and didn't give him the chance to apologize and kept giving Jack excuses along the way.

"That's because I really don't care if he wants to apologize. His ego would probably just get in the way anyways." Her eyes landed on a spot over his shoulder and she quickly began gathering up her paperwork.

Jack glanced behind him and rolled his eyes. Dr. Smith was heading their way with a determined look on his face.

"Gotta go. I'll see you later, yeah?" Rose said before she was walking quickly off in the other direction.

"You know this is getting a bit ridiculous," Jack called after her. After he took a moment to roll his eyes at her stubbornness, he turned around and deliberately stepped in the middle of Dr. Smith's path.

"Dr. Smith," he said. "I don't think we've met yet."

James looked thoroughly annoyed as he watched Rose's back disappear around a corner and looked at who had stopped him.

"Dr. Jack Harkness," Jack said in his most charming manner with his most flirtatious smile.

James took the hand that was offered and introduced himself as well. "Dr. James Smith. But you already knew that. Right, um, you're plastics, right?" he asked.

"I am. So you've heard of me. Hopefully it's all good," Jack said with a wink.

"Well, you're head of plastics and I made sure to learn all the names of my leading surgeons." Jack nodded. "So were you uh, were you just talking to Dr. Tyler?" he asked as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"I was," Jack replied. "And I hear she's refusing to speak to you."

"Well you see I made this really stupid joke about how I could put her reputation to rest and about how brilliant I am and she thought I was serious and I understand of course because it really was a completely stupid joke and no reasonable person would have made it but I was not serious, not in the slightest. But now she won't talk to me and it's weird because I've had people hate me before but it's never really bothered me then. Most of the time people hate me because I offend them, but really I just tell the truth but that wasn't the case with Dr. Tyler because I've heard of what she's done and I know she's completely brilliant and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her and I know I've been rambling, but I just really want a second chance. Do you think you can help me?"

Jack looked at him with disbelief, not sure how all those words came out of his mouth in such a short time period.

"Wow. Ok. Well, I would love to help you. I mean you seem like a really nice guy, but Dr. Tyler is my best friend and she doesn't have many people looking out for her. She hasn't had the greatest experience with men and I don't want her getting hurt again."

"Oh no I don't... I mean I never... I wouldn't... I just want-"

"Why don't we get to know each other?" Jack asked, saving James from more speech attempts. "I know you must not have a lot of friends around here and there's a great bar just across the street. Plus if I like you I'll put in a good word to Rose."

"Rose?" James asked. Jack nodded.

"Rose Tyler," James said trying it out and he smiled. It slid off his tongue and fit well in his mouth and he wanted to be able to say it all the time. "What time?" He asked Jack with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I do not own Doctor Who

oOoOo

"You're going out with who?" Rose demanded.

"I told you. I'm going to get a drink with Dr. Smith," Jack replied calmly.

"And why on earth would you want to do that?"

"Contrary to what you think, he actually seems like a nice guy. Even if he does have a major gob."

"I highly doubt that," Rose responded icily.

"You just don't want to find out that you were wrong about him after all."

"You know what? Fine. Go out with him. But when he turns out to be a jerk, don't think I won't say I told you so," And with that she grabbed her empty lunch tray and walked away, positively slamming it down on the top of the stack.

"I don't doubt that," Jack muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes.

oOoOo

Jack walked into the bar at exactly 10 and, when he didn't see Dr. Smith anywhere, took a seat at the mostly empty bar. Unfortunately, he'd had to stay after his shift ended to try and calm a hysterical patient and, thinking he was going to be late, didn't have time to go home and change into some more casual clothes. Which was why he was wearing navy blue pants, a light blue oxford and suspenders.

As soon as he had ordered his drink, the bell over the door rang and Jack turned to see Dr. Smith walking towards him. He was wearing jeans and a t shirt with a band on it that Jack had never heard of.

"Dr. Smith, hey," Jack greeted.

"Oh, please, call me James," he replied.

"Well then you can call me Jack." James nodded and called the bartender over.

"I'll have a pint and another of whatever he's having," James said. The bartender nodded and went to work on making the drinks.

"So," Jack began. "Where are you from?"

"A small town named Gallifrey. You've probably never heard of it."

"Sounds Irish," Jack commented.

"And what about you? Where did you live in the States?"

"New York. Born and raised. But I decided to come out here for school and ended up staying."

"Why come all the way out here?" James asked. "There are plenty of good schools over there."

"Yeah, but I wanted something new, something big. A change of scenery. And coming out here was a pretty big change. And just what I needed."

"I get it. I left my town as soon as I could."

"Why?" Jack inquired.

James shrugged. "It was small and everyone there expected all these things out of me and they tried to make me fit in with their ridiculous standards and traditions and I hated it. I resented them for it. But now I wish more than anything I could go back. At least once."

"Why can't you?"

James waved his hand dismissively. "It's a long story and I'd rather not bore you with it." His voice was casual, but Jack could see something dark lurking in his eyes and he guessed there was more to the story than James let on.

"So," James started, trying to dissipate the tension that had begun building up during their conversation. "Tell me about Rose."

"Oh, she's brilliant. The kindest, most passionate person you'll ever meet. She makes friends easy, but it takes a while to really get to know her. But it's worth the wait."

"You two aren't... uh together right?" James asked sheepishly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

"Oh, no. I mean at first I tried, but we ended up becoming friends. Best friends actually."

"So, do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?" He asked hesitantly. Jack said nothing, just held his gaze and smirked.

They talked like this until about midnight and by that time, both of them needed a cab to get home. Neither of them were really drunk, but definitely tipsy.

"I like you," Jack said as they were attempting to hail a cab. "If you want, I'll put in a good word with Rose."

"Oh, please would you do that? I just don't want her to hate me. I actually want her to like me."

"Sure. You've proven yourself to be a good guy. But it's gonna take some work. She really does not like you."

"Yeah, tell me about it," James muttered.

"She'll lighten up. Eventually," Jack frowned. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," He said as a cab finally pulled up.

"Yeah, see you," James replied.

Jack drove away, a smile creeping onto his face as he thought about his night with James and how absolutely perfect he was for Rose. It was time for Jack the Matchmaker to go to work.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been pretty hectic, but hopefully I'll be better.

I do not own Doctor Who

oOoOo

"So, how was it?" Rose asked Jack as he walked into the attending's lounge the next morning. Despite her best efforts, Rose couldn't help but be curious about his drink with Dr. Smith.

"It was good. Fun actually. Much to your disappointment I'm sure," he responded. She grunted noncommittedly. "Look, why don't you just give him a chance? He told me that what he said to you was a joke. A bad joke albeit, but a joke all the same,"

"Because I don't want to. He;s my boss and that's all he needs to be."

Suddenly, Jack snapped his fingers. "You don't want to be friends with him because you think you'll fall for him," Jack knew he was right when Rose tried to deny it, but started stuttering before finally hanging her head in defeat.

She sighed before speaking. "I can't fall for my boss, Jack. And I definitely can't get involved with him."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because he's my boss! I don't want to be that girl, Jack. I've worked hard to get my reputation and I don't want to ruin it because of some guy."

"But that's just it, Rose! He's not just some guy," Jack said. "Look, I've met some of the guys you've dated and most of them were pathetic jerks. But James isn't like that. He's kind and smart and he's got a good job and he really likes you. I just think you should give him a chance,"

"Why do you want me to give him a chance so badly?" she inquired.

"Because you deserve it. I truly believe he's a good person and you deserve someone like that," Jack responded gently.

Rose stared at him for a moment before responding. "Fine," she said. But gave him a quick, firm hug before leaving the room.

oOoOo

"Dr. Tyler. Dr. Tyler!" James called as he jogged to catch up to Rose. She stopped to let him catch up and he got excited before remembering to school his features into a calmer smile.

She turned to look at him. "Doctor," Rose said coolly. His smile faltered, but he quickly recovered.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I swear to you it was only a joke and I didn't mean a word of it. I just really want to clear the air."

"Apology accepted," she said. He smiled wide and bright and Rose couldn't help but give him a small smile in return.

"Brilliant," he crooned. "So I was wondering if maybe you would like to go to dinner, er... with me I mean. Or maybe we could, uh go get a drink or something?" he asked a bit awkwardly, one of his hands coming up to rub the back of his hand and the other coming up to grasp his ear lobe.

Rose hesitated, the thought of getting involved with her boss making her pause. Was it really worth it? But then she remembered Jack's words and he was smiling an adorably awkward smile and looking at her with big, brown puppy dog eyes and she couldn't help but say yes.

"Brilliant," he said again with that smile of his. "It's a date," and as Rose walked away she couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face at the thought of being able to see that face in a place other than the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry I haven't updated until now. This chapter took me a while to write and I've just been kind of busy. But here it is and it's pretty long. Bonus points if you can find the hidden TV reference.

I don't own Doctor Who.

oOoOo

"You're welcome," Jack said when he saw Rose the next day. The whole hospital had heard about James and Rose's upcoming date, including Jack. Gossip like a date between two surgeons traveled fast around the hospital.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rose responded innocently.

"Yes you do. Everyone knows about it."

"That's the point," Rose burst out. "Everyone is talking about it. And I wish that everyone would stop talking about it. Including you," she said. poking his chest.

"Alright alright," he said. "But you'll thanking me for this ten years from now. When you're married. And have adorable children with great hair. Just saying," Jack said as he began walking backwards down the hall.

"Oh, right. I'll be sure to do that," Rose called after him, rolling her eyes.

She started to gather up her charts and paperwork when she heard a voice call her name. She turned around to see Dr. Smith walking jogging towards her.

"Dr. Smith, hey," she greeted him.

"Please, call me James."

"Ok. Call me Rose, then," she said with a tongue-touched grin. James' stomach began doing flips and he had to force himself to remember why he was there.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.

"Right then, Rose," James said and he couldn't help a grin from spreading across his face. "So, erm, I just wanted to talk about our date. I was thinking we could go out for a bite or something."

"Sure. How about chips? I love chips."

"Sure. Yeah. Chips would be perfection."

She laughed.

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow then. 9 o'clock?"

"Yep. 9 sounds good. I'll see you then."

He slapped a hand to his forehead after she was gone. _Chips would be perfection? Really?_ he thought. But he couldn't stay mad at himself as the reality that he was actually going out on a date with this beautiful girl set in.

oOoOo

James was waiting in the lobby when Rose walked up to him the next night. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She was wearing a pink sundress that tied around her neck with a white belt at her waist. Her hair was wavy, like she'd just taken it out of a braid and her makeup was subtle, but highlighted her face in just the right way.

James himself was wearing a brown pinstriped suit with a dark blue oxford and a brown tie with blue swirls on it.

"Nice suit," she commented.

"Thank you," he said and offered her his arm.

He hailed down a cab and as he was opening the door for her he spoke.

"Next time we'll take my car. She's in the shop right now, but as soon as she's fixed we can take her for a spin."

"She?" Rose asked.

James grinned sheepishly.

"I may have an unhealthy connection to my car."

Rose smiled.

"Well, I look forward to meeting her," she said.

When they arrived at the chippie, James paid the cab driver and followed Rose into the shop. They sat in a booth in the corner and waited for their order to be ready.

"You're right," James said after they got their food. "These things are gorgeous."

"I told you," she said, popping one in her mouth. "So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"You're like a genius, right? Tell me about that."

"Well," he said, drawing the word out. "I wouldn't say I'm a genius, but I do have an unusually high intellect."

"Oh, please. Don't be modest on my account," Rose teased.

"Sorry," he said, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "But most of the people from where I'm from are highly intelligent. It's weird I know but yeah."

"Is there something in the water?"

He shrugged.

"The people from there are just really... snobby I suppose," he said, making a face.

"You didn't like it there?"

"They wanted me to be someone I'm not. So I left as soon as I could. Which happened to be when I was fifteen."

Rose wanted to know more about this strange town he grew up in, but the dark look that came into his eyes made her stop.

"What about you?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"What about me?"

"Tell me about you. Where you're from, stuff like that."

"It's boring really. I grew up in London on an estate, got my A-levels at a normal age, went to a small university then found out I was pretty good at being a surgeon."

"Pretty good?" James asked. "Come on. I've seen you in the OR. You're more than pretty good. One of the best I've seen."

"Oh, please. I'm not that good," Rose said with a wave of her hand.

"Yes you are."

"Well, I've heard you're not so bad yourself. Why did you become a doctor anyway? You could've done anything."

"I wanted to help people. And I figured that trying to prove some vague theory about the universe isn't really helping anyone, just sounds impressive. So I became a surgeon."

"Well, aren't you the good Samaritan," Rose said with that smile that he loved so much.

"What about you?" he asked. "Why did you become a surgeon?"

"I wanted something more for myself. I tried out a bunch of things at uni and found out that medical school was where I belonged. Then I tried my hand at surgery and found that I was pretty good at it."

The rest of their date went great. They talked well into the night and didn't stop until they noticed that the shop they had been sitting at began to close up.

They caught a cab and James walked Rose up to the door of her flat.

"I had a great time tonight," Rose told him.

"Me too. I was thinking that maybe we could do it again sometime. If you want to that is."

"I would love to, really," Rose said, but then frowned. "But I don't think that's such a great idea."

James' mouth dropped open and kept opening and closing like a fish until he snapped it shut with an audible click.

"But you said you had a great time and I thought we were hitting it off," he said with disbelief.

"I did and we did hit it off, but you're still my boss. People at the hospital were already talking about tonight and it was just one night. Imagine how they'll be if we actually start dating."

"Who cares?"

"I do!" Rose cried. "Look, I know that it may not be a big deal for you, but I worked hard to get my reputation. I can't just go around sleeping with my boss."

"What... We're not... I just..."

"Look, James I still want to be friends with you. But I don't think we should go out again. I really did have a great time tonight. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." And with that she unlocked her flat and shut the door, leaving James standing there, still in shock.


	6. Chapter 6

It's been a long time I know and I'm sorry. I'm going to get really busy soon, but I'll still try to update as much as I can. As a disclaimer I don't know really know anything about the medical stuff, but I'll research as much as I can. So if some of it's wrong or inaccurate then I apologize.

I do not own Doctor Who.

oOoOo

The next day, James tried to focus on the fact that he was performing his first surgery since arriving at New Hope instead of the intense disappointment he felt at Rose's rejection. It was a grade 1 pilocytic astrocytoma resection that should go off without a hitch, but complicated enough that it should have kept his attention. They key words being should have, but damn his own brilliance.

His thoughts had been trailing off to Rose all day which is how he found himself taking twice as long as usual to scrub in. When he finally forced himself into the OR he nearly walked right out. Up in the observation room Rose was sitting in one of the chairs, a pencil and pad of paper held loosely in her hands.

He paused for a moment before clearing his throat and stepping up to the table.

"Let's save some lives, shall we?" he said. "Scalpel."

oOoOo

"Hey," Rose called after him after his surgery ended several hours later. He stopped, but didn't turn around. "That was great in there. They were right about you. You really are brilliant."

James shrugged.

"I've done it dozens of times before."

"Still, it was pretty great-"

"What are you playing at?" James asked, interrupting her.

"I... What?"

"What are you playing at? Last night you rejected me and literally closed the door in my face. Now you're trying to be buddy buddy with me?"

"I told you. I still want to be friends," she said with a confused look.

"Well, I don't," he said curtly. He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face at the look of hurt on her face. "Look, Rose, I haven't known you for very long, but I don't care. You're different. I can't explain it, but you just are. You're not like anyone I've met before. And I don't want to be friends with you. I don't want to act like you're just another coworker. I want more than that. I'm sorry," he said and paused halfway down the hallway. "For the record, I don't care if people talk. And you shouldn't either."

oOoOo

"I can't believe you," Jack said after Rose explained what had happened with James.

"It's really none of your business, Jack."

"Oh, please. Why would you even agree to go out with him in the first place if you weren't going to pursue it?"

"I didn't know that I wasn't going to pursue it. But everyone was talking about it and I didn't want to become just another gossip story around the hospital."

"Doctors hook up with each other all the time. I mean look at me. If you're a good enough surgeon, which you are, then people won't care about your social life."

"You and I both know that isn't true," Rose snorted.

"Well, who cares if it is? If you're happy then who cares what people think?"

"Doing my job is what makes me happy. I don't need a man to make me feel happy."

"I know that, but I saw the way you lit up when you talked about him. You like him and you can't deny it."

"So I should let my career suffer because I have a crush on a guy?"

"Who says your career is going to suffer? Why are you so afraid of this?"

"I'm not afraid. And in case you haven't noticed I don't exactly have the best track record with men."

"He's different, though. You and I both know it."

"I don't want people to talk, ok? I know it's not that big of a deal, but look at me. Do I really look like a brilliant surgeon? Do I sound like one? People see me and they think I'm just a nurse. Nobody takes me seriously. Patients think it's a joke when I tell them I'm their surgeon and everyone around here has just barely begun to think of me as an equal. Starting a relationship with James, even if it's not just sex, will be a huge step back. And I won't do that to myself for the sake of a possible relationship with a coworker," Rose said, taking a deep breath.

"I understand, Rose. Honestly I do. I just think that it's worth the risk. And I think you do too," Jack said. "You just won't admit it."

With that Jack left the Attending's Lounge, leaving Rose to battle with her thoughts.


End file.
